How to turn this into credits, what to call it, what to add???

[Prairie~Phlox]

Ok, several different things, ds 16 works at a local greenhouse.  This spring he worked inside the greenhouse helping customers find annuals and other plants.  He attended weekly educational meetings for an hour where they taught their employees various things about plants and fertilizers, anything that customers might have questions about, this was for about 8 weeks.  So I would like to add to that and create a credit around it to help fill in his transcript.

 

When he's done in the greenhouse, they are moving him to maintenance for the rest of the summer.  He's already spent several years helping my husband in his painting business and knows his way around lots of tools/equipment.  I also want to create a credit around all of this, expanding if I need to.

 

Ds 15 is helping my dad for the summer on his beef farm.  He also worked there last summer.  He's learned about planting corn, baling hay, taking care of the cattle, driving tractors and so on.  How can I expand on that and turn it into something on his transcript as well. 

 

Both of my boys are better at hands on learning and I know that they ARE learning and I do plan to put in on their transcript, so please don't tell me I shouldn't.

 

Any suggestions.

Thanks.

[almondbutterandjelly]

Maybe Botany for the greenhouse stuff?  Count the hours.  60-90 would be 0.5 credit.  120-180 would be 1.0 credit.

 

Maybe Agriculture Science for the beef farm stuff?  I would look at A&M university websites for course name ideas.  Again, count the hours.

[theelfqueen]

I think I would call it Horticulture and have him do some related readings or videos about gardening.

[foxbridgeacademy]

I plan on for DC's senior year doing an "everything" class. We will cover all the things I can think of that they need to know for adult life(or at least the next couple years).  In my state the P.S. and even some HSer's (depending on your Umbrella) are required to take a financial literacy and planning course(1/2 credit) of some sort. I'm going to combine my "everything" class and a financial literacy class together and call it Practical Arts or Practical Skills....

 

For your situation specifically.... I'm not sure what to call it, but if you could find something a bit more traditional that it fit into? like doing a botany course to go with the greenhouse experience, or an animal science to go with the farm work...... If you're wanting to use only the hands on experience without any academic learning I'm not sure what you could do.... sorry. 

[Corraleno]

Many high schools give credit for work study, so I would call it what it is: Work Study / Horticulture (or Agriculture for the other son). Alternatively, you could put it on the transcript as an Internship. Here's a link to a good example of how a public high school handles work study credits, including a very detailed rubric for grading.

[foxbridgeacademy]

Many high schools give credit for work study, so I would call it what it is: Work Study / Horticulture (or Agriculture for the other son). Alternatively, you could put it on the transcript as an Internship. Here's a link to a good example of how a public high school handles work study credits, including a very detailed rubric for grading.

:iagree: I was thinking similarly but due to previous (somewhat heated) debate over counting work as school on this board in the past, I wasn't wanting to be the one to suggest it  :leaving: .  

Edited May 23, 2016 by foxbridgeacademy

[Reefgazer]

Botany or horticulture seem like the obvious choices.

[Pat in MI]

I would agree Animal Science or Agricultural  and Botany or Horticulture.  One credit or  1/2 credit depending on the amount of hours/work done.  

[rlestina]

I agree with calling it Horticulture and Agricultural Science or something similar.

 

And maybe I'm missing something, but why on earth would there be any question that you can/should give credit for this?  Why would we presume that book learning is "standard" and hands-on learning is "less than"?  Most academic programs in schools and such work hard to incorporate at least some hands on learning, and colleges (and employers) respect that - that's why they value a science with a lab over that same science without a lab.  Besides, we're homeschoolers - why be cookie cutter?

[purplelily]

I agree with calling it Horticulture and Agricultural Science or something similar.

 

And maybe I'm missing something, but why on earth would there be any question that you can/should give credit for this?  Why would we presume that book learning is "standard" and hands-on learning is "less than"?  Most academic programs in schools and such work hard to incorporate at least some hands on learning, and colleges (and employers) respect that - that's why they value a science with a lab over that same science without a lab.  Besides, we're homeschoolers - why be cookie cutter?

 

I agree, why do schools give credit for lab science, it is hands on doing, observing and learning.  If you want to go into physical therapy, you have to have so many hours of observations to get the degree.  

[Corraleno]

I agree with calling it Horticulture and Agricultural Science or something similar.

 

And maybe I'm missing something, but why on earth would there be any question that you can/should give credit for this?  Why would we presume that book learning is "standard" and hands-on learning is "less than"?  Most academic programs in schools and such work hard to incorporate at least some hands on learning, and colleges (and employers) respect that - that's why they value a science with a lab over that same science without a lab.  Besides, we're homeschoolers - why be cookie cutter?

 

I agree, why do schools give credit for lab science, it is hands on doing, observing and learning.  If you want to go into physical therapy, you have to have so many hours of observations to get the degree.  

 

 

There's a difference between a "lab science" that includes hands-on experience as one component of a standard academic course and a part-time job that includes a few hours of on-the-job training and no real academic component.  I'm all in favor of "out of the box" approaches to academic subjects, but that does presume that the subject is academic. I'm also in favor of getting credit for work experience if that fits the student's goals. What I would not do is give a deceptively academic "course title" to experience that is not academic. If a student wants credit for work experience, by all means give credit for it, but call it what it is: Work Study (or Internship/Apprenticeship if it's an area the student may pursue as a career).

 

As for "why there would be any question" about giving faux-academic credit for work experience... many colleges expect to see course descriptions (especially from homeschoolers). If the transcript lists "Botany with Lab, 1 credit, A," but the course description lists no texts, no output, no rubric for grading, just "Student worked X hours/wk at Plants-R-Us Greenhouse, with 1 hr/wk of on-the-job training for 8 weeks," not only does that call into question the validity of the whole transcript, it may also make adcoms suspicious of homeschoolers in general.

Edited May 31, 2016 by Corraleno

[swimmermom3]

There's a difference between a "lab science" that includes hands-on experience as one component of a standard academic course and a part-time job that includes a few hours of on-the-job training and no real academic component.  I'm all in favor of "out of the box" approaches to academic subjects, but that does presume that the subject is academic. I'm also in favor of getting credit for work experience if that fits the student's goals. What I would not do is give a deceptively academic "course title" to experience that is not academic. If a student wants credit for work experience, by all means give credit for it, but call it what it is: Work Study (or Internship/Apprenticeship if it's an area the student may pursue as a career).

 

As for "why there would be any question" about giving faux-academic credit for work experience... many colleges expect to see course descriptions (especially from homeschoolers). If the transcript lists "Botany with Lab, 1 credit, A," but the course description lists no texts, no output, no rubric for grading, just "Student worked X hours/wk at Plants-R-Us Greenhouse, with 1 hr/wk of on-the-job training for 8 weeks," not only does that call into question the validity of the whole transcript, it may also make adcoms suspicious of homeschoolers in general.

 

Thank you for writing this. I wasn't sure how to address the issue, but felt it was important to do so.

 

[swimmermom3]

Ok, several different things, ds 16 works at a local greenhouse.  This spring he worked inside the greenhouse helping customers find annuals and other plants.  He attended weekly educational meetings for an hour where they taught their employees various things about plants and fertilizers, anything that customers might have questions about, this was for about 8 weeks.  So I would like to add to that and create a credit around it to help fill in his transcript.

 

When he's done in the greenhouse, they are moving him to maintenance for the rest of the summer.  He's already spent several years helping my husband in his painting business and knows his way around lots of tools/equipment.  I also want to create a credit around all of this, expanding if I need to.

 

Ds 15 is helping my dad for the summer on his beef farm.  He also worked there last summer.  He's learned about planting corn, baling hay, taking care of the cattle, driving tractors and so on.  How can I expand on that and turn it into something on his transcript as well. 

 

Both of my boys are better at hands on learning and I know that they ARE learning and I do plan to put in on their transcript, so please don't tell me I shouldn't.

 

Any suggestions.

Thanks.

 

Will he not have enough "academic" credits that he will need to have his work experience translated into credits?

 

I am not suggesting that you discount the work experience, but you really do need to figure out why you want to count it a particular way and if that is the best plan.  It's no different than when we all try to figure out if club swimming counts as a PE credit or if it would be better if we listed it as an extracurricular, trying to avoid "double-dipping."

 

How is the rest of his transcript going to look? Is he going on to college? The answers to those questions will dictate to a certain extent, the best way to spin his work experience.

 

Will your son be better served with the work experience listed outside of classwork? What he is doing is really a fantastic experience. It can be woven into his personal essays for college admissions if that is his pathway.